John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV

One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

During an investigation of the murder of several mobsters, Kolchak
(Darren McGavin) learns that the victims had their spines snapped by the
murderer, one with chicken blood on his person.Looking into the case further, Kolchak learns that Francois Edmunds, a
Haitian, was shot and murdered by the mob. He has returned from the grave to
murder those responsible for his death. He is now a zombie, controlled by a
zombie master, who leaves his earthen bed each night, and targets those who
ended his life.

A frightened Kolchak plots to stop the zombie massacre. He tracks
the zombie’s home to a junk yard, and there – armed with a sewing needle,
threat, white candles, and salt, plans to sew the monster’s mouth shut and end
the horrifying killing spree

If I could only recommend one episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker
(1974-1975) to a friend, it would be this episode, “The Zombie,” which is
suspenseful, but also serves as a perfect time capsule of the mid-1970’s.
Lest we forget it, Kolchak, The Night Stalker aired
in the era of "hero" journalists like Woodward and Bernstein, right
after the Watergate Scandal. Embedded in the series' DNA is the then-popular
belief that one man can fight City Hall; that one man can make
a difference. In the series, Kolchak is always battling corrupt cops or
politicians and trying (and often failing...) to get the truth out to the
people. This was before the age of a corporate news business and compliant
"talking points" media. Kolchak -- for all his failures as a human
being -- is a sterling journalist and a paragon of virtue in the sense that he
always follows a story...no matter where it takes him. Unlike today’s media,
which is more interested n ratings than the truth, he isn’t afraid to speak
truth to power.

"The Zombie" reveals this "man against City
Hall" aesthetic in spades. While investigating a gangland
"syndicate" killing, Kolchak begins to suspect that a Mamalois, a
voodoo priestess, has activated a zombie to kill the mobsters who put out a hit
on her grandson, Haitian Francois Edmonds. Kolchak works every angle of the
case, which allows him to consult the series' colorful recurring cast members,
like John Fiedler's on-the-take "Gordy the Ghoul," an enthusiastic
informant who works in City Morgue. The case also puts Kolchak in direct
opposition with police captain Leo Winwood (Charles Aidman), who has a dark
involvement with the mob case. In voice-over, Kolchak describes his
relationship with Winwood as "long and bloody; like the
Crusades...only without the chivalry."

One of the episode's best moment involves Kolchak putting Captain
Winwood on the spot while he conducts an official press briefing (a ritual
Kolchak derides as "a foolish game.") The Helen Thomas or Sam
Donaldson of his day, Kolchak pummels the evasive Winwood with facts until the
dishonest police captain threatens to have him expelled. Why our White House
Press couldn't push Sarah Huckabee Sanders this way is beyond me. A liar in the
service of power needs to be called out, regularly.

Another aspect of the episode involves Kolchak tangling with
Monique Marmelstein, the new partner Vincenzo has assigned him. Monique is a
pudgy, annoying presence who got her job at INS through what she calls
"nespotism" (but she means nepotism.) Just as the
Winwood character is found to be corrupt; so does Kolchak here find corruption
in his INS office. It turns out Monique's uncle is a powerful figure in local
politics, so Vincenzo has no choice but to accommodate her on his staff. At a
police shoot-out, however, Kolchak finds an inventive way to keep Monique out
of his way: the always loquacious Kolchak jaw-bones Monique into hiding in the
trunk of his car; and then locks her in. Not very nice. But undeniably
effective.

The political undercurrents of Kolchak and
the pervasive context of Watergate are always fascinating elements of the
series, but as a horror fan I admire "The Zombie" for its
spine-tingling denouement. Convinced that a zombie is being resurrected nightly
for revenge killings, Kolchak researches the ways to kill it. He discovers that
zombies often rest in the "places of the dead" (mortuaries,
graveyards, etc.) and that to kill one he must pour salt into the mouth, and
then use needle and thread to sew the lips "very tightly" together.
However, that mode of execution only works if the zombie is dormant. If awake,
the undead can be killed by strangulation. But ever try strangling a zombie before?

Kolchak finds his living-dead quarry at an unconventional "place of the
dead," an auto junkyard (where cars go to die.). In particular, Kolchak
happens across the zombie in a wrecked funeral hearse. We watch with mounting
suspense as Kolchak crawls in through the back of the hearse and methodically
pours salt into the zombie's mouth. He slowly takes out the needle and is about
to begin sewing the lips shut when...

...the zombie's eyes open and Kolchak - terrified - shrieks and hightails it
out of the hearse.

I have to admit, this is one of the things I absolutely love about
this character. So often in horror movies and television lately, characters
face extreme situations (like vampires, zombies and werewolves) with a bit too
much composure and acceptance for my taste. In keeping with Kolchak's
1970s-vibe and "everyman" nature, the character is foolhardy, but
when faced with a monster, pretty damn terrified. Upon seeing the zombie awake,
Kolchak turns tail and runs like hell. "Suspension of disbelief" is
important in horror and science fiction, and if the characters don't respond in
a truthful manner to the strange events around them, I found suspension of
disbelief is lost. A lot of movies and TV shows today can't be bothered to
actually generate suspense or have characters react in a realistic way. But
Kolchak is a dogged everyman, and reacts how you or I might.

So Kolchak turns tail and runs through the junkyard, the
white-eyed zombie hot on his heels. With a degree of ingenuity and on the fly,
Kolchak manages to trick the lunging zombie into a noose, hence the necessary
strangulation of the creature. But the point is that it all looks very
unplanned, very spontaneous, and therefore very human. Kolchak:
The Night Stalker did things in this fashion all the time,
and the audience found itself rooting for the little guy not just as he battled
City Hall, but as he battled terrifying monsters too (or more appropriately, a
different kind of monster than he found ensconced in the hallways of power).

Of course, the very nature of episodic television assures that the
protagonist survives his or her travails week-to-week, but the very fallible
nature of this particular protagonist actually makes the viewer forget such
convention and hold on tight to that critical suspension of disbelief. Carl has
heart, but he's hapless and -- like most of us -- not exactly courageous in the
face of the unknown. That's why I love the guy; he's us.

With its roving night-time camera, hand-held moments promoting
immediacy, staccato character banter, sharp writing and unforgettably
individual protagonist, Kolchak: The Night Stalker is
really a shining jewel in genre television's crown. It's a one-of-a-kind
production, and "The Zombie" reveals why. It moves effortlessly from
comedy to social commentary, to monsters-on-the-loose with utter confidence,
not to mention an overwhelming sense of charm and fun.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

The
U.S.S Enterprise monitors a star with unusual properties, when it encounters a
distress call from a malfunctioning freighter called the Sanction.

The
freighter is from the planet Ornara, and its confused captain T’Jon (Merritt Buttrick), has
no idea how to repair the ship. Nor does his crew.

When
the ship nears destruction, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) attempts to beam its
crew to the Enterprise. The Ornarans, however, beam over cargo, instead, as well as two survivors, T’Jon and Romas (Richard Lineback).

Also
recovered before the freighter’s explosion are two Brekkians: Sobi (Judson Scott),
and Langor (Kimberly Farr).

Almost
immediately, the two factions begin arguing over possession of the cargo, a
medicine called Felicium. The Ornarans are suffering from a deadly plague, and
the Felicium is the only cure.The
Brekkians are the only people with the ability to make the cure, because it grows on their planet. Each side
claims the cargo belongs to it.

As
Captain Picard investigates with Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden), he learns that
Felicium is actually a narcotic, and the Ornarans are all addicted to it. The plague was
cured years earlier.The Brekkians,
however, have not informed them of this situation.

Dr.
Crusher wants to tell the Ornarans the truth, since they have been victimized,
but Captain Picard realizes it would be a violation of the Prime Directive to
interfere.Instead, he must find another
way to help the Ornarans.

“Symbiosis”
is famous as the “very special” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994),
or the “just say no to drugs” episode.Both of these descriptors are reductive, and don’t get at the actual
quality of the episode itself.Certainly, there
is one scene that could be omitted from the episode, involving Tasha Yar’s
(Denise Crosby) “just say no” speech to Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). The rest
of the episode is strong, however, as it involves Captain Picard having to
arbitrate a heart-breaking, and at times, infuriating conflict between two
sovereign societies.

The
problem with the “Just Say No” speech is not its existence, or even “social
commentary” purpose about drugs, and drug addiction. Rather, it is the
character perspective of the speech in question. One of the key problems for Star Trek:
The Next Generation is that the “perfect” people of the Enterprise get to
(sometimes smugly…) lecture to life-forms who are outside the Federation, and
don’t live in a veritable paradise. Here, Tasha explains to Wesley the drug
addiction she witnessed on the failed colony she hails from (seen in the fourth
season story “Legacy.”) Tasha lectures Wesley about drugs from that
perspective, but importantly, it is still from a superior, and abstract point
of view.By contrast, this scene would
have possessed real power -- and value -- had Tasha explained to Wesley that she
lived with drug addiction before being rescued.That the adults she lived with, the parents who abandoned her, what-have-you,
were drug addicts, whose behavior had deleterious impact on not only their lives,
but hers.Better yet, she could have
acknowledged that, on the colony, she was a drug user, before her life
changed.

Either of these revelations
would have built Tasha’s character in a meaningful way, and made the point that
no one sets out to make bad decisions, or become an addict. The speech would have also suggested that drug addiction doesn't have to be the end. It can be overcome.

But
as delivered, Tasha’s speech is just a smug lecture from someone who has the luxury
of living in a perfect world, and doesn’t understand want, need, hunger, or the
desire to escape from a bad situation. In short, the speech becomes a message, instead of a philosophy that seems to come organically from Tasha's character.

Now
I’ll go out on a limb and state that, in spite of the on-the-nose drug lecture,
“Symbiosis” is nonetheless one of the more powerful and effective episodes of
TNG’s first season.In The
Original Series, The Prime Directive is always brought up right before Kirk
chooses, for various reasons, to break or bend the rule. What we don’t
typically see in The Original Series, is the rule being followed, or observed.

Even
in early TNG, the Prime Directive comes up when Picard must violate it
(“Justice.”)So “Symbiosis” is that rare
stand out: a story in which the wisdom of the Prime Directive is debated and,
ultimately, upheld.Crusher doesn’t like
it being upheld, because she is coming from a humanitarian point of view. She wants
to stop the suffering and exploitation of the Ornarans. Picard takes a broader
view and realizes it is not her place, or Starfleet’s, to decide what should or
should not happen in another culture.He
is still able to help the Ornarans, in the grand scheme of things, by denying
them the coils that will repair their ships.This means that there will be no further shipments of Felicium, and,
after withdrawal, the addiction of the people will end.They will have to suffer, but Picard sees
that suffering, no doubt, as something that should not be alleviated. It is an
outgrowth of Ornaran and Brekkian choices, and so the two civilizations must
contend with it.From that suffering
will come growth, and change.And who is
Picard, or Crusher, to deny the people that change?

Although
it does not concern Picard’s background, history, family, romances or other
details, “Symbiosis” is actually an incredibly powerful story for the Captain.
He must balance so many factors here, and demonstrate wisdom in his handling of
the problem.He must rationally reason out the
conflict, and determine how best to keep his oath to obey the Prime Directive,
and correct a wrong.His answer is
elegant, even if, as Crusher notes, it won’t put an easy end to the Ornaran
addiction.

There
are no phaser battles, new planets to explore, or very memorable aliens
featured in “Symbiosis.” Instead, this is a portrait of a captain grappling
with his morality, and the rules that he claims to cherish and live by.We see Picard agonize over this, and more
than that, live with the ambiguity that he may never know if he made the right
choice, or the wrong one, for these people.He does his best in the moment, even if Crusher disagrees with him. But Picard demonstrates why he deserves to sit in the Captain’s chair of the starship
Enterprise.

I
have written at length here about how the writing of the first season of Star Trek: The Next
Generation did Captain Picard no favors. We’ve seen him surrender the
Enterprise twice in four episodes ("Encounter at Farpoint," "The Last Outpost.") We’ve seen him go mad and lose his mental faculties
in several episodes (“The Naked Now,” “Lonely Among Us,” “The Battle,” etc.).
Even though people hate “Symbiosis” for the condescending, smug “just say no”
drug speech, there is room to love this installment as a portrait of a captain forced to
reckon with the philosophy he has chosen to live by.

About John

award-winning author of 27 books including Horror Films FAQ (2013), Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), TV Year (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007), Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (2006),, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (2004), The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004), An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (2002), The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film & Television (2004), Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to TV's Battlestar Galactica (1998), Terror Television (2001), Space:1999 - The Forsaken (2003) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002).

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What the Critics Say...

"...some of the best writing about the genre has been done by John Kenneth Muir. I am particularly grateful to him for the time and attention he's paid to things others have overlooked, under-appreciated and often written off. His is a fan's perspective first, but with a critic's eye to theme and underscore, to influence and pastiche..." - Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, in the foreword to Horror Films FAQ (October 2013).

"Hands down, John Kenneth Muir is one of the finest critics and writers working today. His deep analysis of contemporary American culture is always illuminating and insightful. John's film writing and criticism is outstanding and a great place to start for any budding writer, but one should also examine his work on comic books, TV, and music. His weighty catalog of books and essays combined with his significant blog production places him at the top of pop culture writers. Johns work is essential in understanding the centrality of culture in modern society." - Professor Bob Batchelor, cultural historian and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College (2014).

"...an independent film scholar, [Muir] explains film studies concepts in a language that is reader-friendly and engaging..." (The Hindu, 2007)"...Muir's genius lies in his giving context to the films..." (Choice, 2007)